In recent years a rather large number of patents have issued describing polyketone compositions and how they might be synthesized. These are polymers of carbon monoxide and at least one olefin. Representative examples include copolymers of carbon monoxide and ethylene, and terpolymers of carbon monoxide, ethylene, and another olefin, such as propylene (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,903).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,412 to K. Nozaki, in Example VI, refers to preparation of an interpolymer of carbon monoxide and propylene using acetonitrile as a solvent. It is well known that such polymers were random polymers of those monomeric constituents having no substantial utility.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,934, in Example 15, shows the synthesis of a carbon monoxide/propylene copolymer using a methanol solvent medium. As illustrated by Comparative Example 2, below, such a polymeric composition contains both ether and ester linkages which have the disadvantage of enhancing decomposition and decreasing stability during processing.
The generalized structures for the known carbon monoxide/ethylene and carbon monoxide/ethylene/propylene polyketone materials of the prior art, which generally have been made in methanol solvent, are as follows: ##STR1##
In the above formula, n will generally range from about 170 to about 17,000. ##STR2##
In the above formula, m and n will be selected so that the total molecular weight will be from about 10,000 to about 300,000 with the content of moiety -C(O)CH(CH.sub.3)CH.sub.2 -- being from about 0% to about 12%.